Final Fantasy VII - PlayStation

The Final Fantasy franchise wasn't a major success in the United States. Role playing games (RPGs for short) were seen as a niche genre, as more simplistic, action-oriented games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda were more popular in the American market. It was hard to ask ADD-stricken American kids to dedicate hour after hour after hour to numeric-based battle schemes. After all, why would kids play a game that employed mathematics when they got enough of that at school? And as epic, intricate, and engrossing the games' plots may have been, it was hard to take them seriously when they were rendered in cute 8-bit or 16-bit sprites. But when Final Fantasy VII crossed the Pacific and reached American shores in 1997, all that changed. Moving from the 2D landscape of the Super Nintendo to the 3D realm of the Sony PlayStation, it looked like gaming technology was finally catching up with the Final Fantasy series' broader storytelling approach. Sony launched a promotional campaign that emphasized Final Fantasy VII's impressive new visuals and epic scope, presenting the game as more of a cinematic experience that even surpassed anything Hollywood had to offer. And the television commercials and magazine ads were right. Sprawling across three discs, Final Fantasy VII drops you into the role of Cloud Strife, a spiky-haired mercenary with a murky past, hired by resistance group Avalanche, who set out to take down the Shinra Electric Company, a powerful energy conglomerate and de facto world government. Shinra has been sapping Mako, a refined form of the planet's life force called the Lifestream, from the ground and using it as an energy source. Shinra is searching for The Promised Land, a mythical Mako-rich land to further bolster their power over the world, but the members of Avalanche believes that Shinra's constant siphoning of Mako is slowly killing the planet and want to bring down Shinra before it's too late. But a bigger threat looms. Cloud's childhood idol, Sephiroth, the former leader of Shinra's elite SOLDIER warriors, resurfaces after a five-year disappearance. Believing himself to be the son of Jenova, an alien creature mistaken for a member of a powerful ancient tribe called the Cetra, Sephiroth sets out to express his superiority over humanity by initiating a plan that will give him total power over the planet and fulfill what he believes is his birthright. Summoning a meteor to crash into the planet, he plans to merge with the thriving Lifestream as it attempts to heal its massive wound, turning him into a god with complete control over the Lifestream and all living things. And as Cloud, you travel the globe with several colorful companions and unlikely allies, simultaneously trying to thwart Shinra's efforts and find a way to stop Sephiroth from devastating the planet, and uncover the truth behind Cloud's own fractured past along the way. Final Fantasy VII is a game, but it's also a game changer. It boasts an immersive globetrotting tale, striking imagery, iconic characters, stirring soundtrack composed by master Nobuo Uematsu, addictive minigames and sidequests, and groundbreaking graphics that utilize full motion video (FMVs) as both a storytelling tool and as nearly seamless transitions from one scene to the next. Final Fantasy VII is praised, but it is also derided. Some gamers deem it "overrated", stating that VII's gameplay wasn't as complex and its story wasn't as deep in comparison to other games within the genre that they consider to superior, like Final Fantasy VI or Chrono Trigger. And though VII's visuals were cutting-edge for its time, the blocky CGI renderings make Final Fantasy VII look rather outdated compared to most recent games. But one cannot argue the game's affect on the business as a whole. Some liken Final Fantasy VII's impact on the gaming world with the original Star Wars' impact on movies. Squaresoft (now Square Enix) upped the ante for all future video games with Final Fantasy VII, challenging them to match its standards and presentation. Squaresoft (now Square Enix) has also been forced to top themselves with each new Final Fantasy installment since, but they have yet to recapture the magic that made Final Fantasy VII such a massive phenomenon that continues even to this day.

To start out with, if you are going to buy this game, do NOT bother buying it new; $249 is a lot of money, and even though I could pay that, I'd rather pay 10% of that and get it used (which I did do). Pros: Has beautiful CGI cutscenes, that look better than the in-game cutscenes of Final Fantasy X (in some ways) Has fun gameplay (aside from the mini-games), and will keep you hooked for hours Has great music, and will keeped you hooked into the game for hours, even if the gameplay doesn't, which it should Has an even better storyline, and like Final Fantasy X, if for some reason you hate the gameplay and the music (which is a hard thing to do), the story should keep you glued to your TV set with controller in hand Has an easy 30+ hour completion time, without doing the side quests, ideal for those that like lots of gameplay time Has good player customization (with what you call "Materia"), but not nearly as good as Final Fantasy X (although if you thought it was too time consuming in Final Fantasy X, this is much faster) The battle speed can be set as slow or fast as you want, with many settings in between Cons: This game has a somewhat high encounter rate; if you're just playing this game for the story, you may want to consider using a cheat code for no random battles or something, as you'll be spending huge amounts of time with the random battles The graphics outside of the battles are very awful, using low polygon levels The graphics inside of the battles aren't too bad, but still leave a lot to be desired If you have much in the way of scratches on your discs, namely where the CGI cutscenes happen to be, look forward to the game going into an eternal freeze, and not being able to do anything about it, except try it on your PS2 or PS3 If lots of extreme "French" language bother you, you may not want to play this game, as two of your main characters use these words a LOT and other side characters do as well This game comes with 3 discs, so if you are too lazy to get off your rear end after so many hours of play, to switch the discs, then this game is not for you. Fortunately you really only switch twice. If you are a casual gamer, and not willing to spend lots of extra time to level up, and are not really good at RPGs, this game may not be for you, as it can be quite hard sometimes This game uses the Active Time Battle (ATB), like Final Fantasy IV - VI. It is fun, but from Final Fantasy IV - IX, it begins to dull. I personally like the Conditional Turn-Based Battle (CTB) more, which can be found in Final Fantasy X, as it leaves room for more strategy, and faster battles, without worrying about the running time clock. However, it is still fun, and will give you hours of fun gameplay. The mini-games are, at best, meh. They really aren't all that fun, and there are a lot that are mandatory. A lot of people say this game is really sad and that they cried a lot; while this may be true, you'll likely be crying more in Final Fantasy X. The save-points in this game are far and few between. Don't play this if you have only 10 minutes before you have to leave for work or school. Also, the save-points don't restore your party's HP and MP, so you'll have to load up on costly items. Summary: This is a really fun game, with a great storyline, and a great music soundtrack, with stunning CGI cutscenes. However, it does have a lot of flaws, but not enough that it should keep you from playing this game. It is easily in my top 10 list of favorite games, and should be in yours also.

Great game . Good delivery

While this is a five-star product the seller description led me to believe that this was the black packaging when actually it showed up as the green greatest hits packaging case. Discs are good, no scratches. The photo descriptions also had me believe that it would come with the strategy guide book that is nowhere to be found. No idea why that is shown in the phot description. I mean like what in the actual ???k

Anyone who's played this game knows the joy it brings, but if you are new and on the fence of playing...all I can ask is how could so many people be wrong over all these years? Seems improbable. Take that plunge and see what joy it can bring you!

More than satisfied. Game arrived in great condition, case, booklet and all.

I would like to make one thing perfectly clear; I love this game. I love the story, I love the battle system, I love the pacing, I love the nostalgic feelings I get when I replay it. That being said, let's be honest here. This game has risen to an untouchable legendary status that is simply ridiculous. Anybody who badmouths this game is ridiculed and pretty much ignored. This game was amazing when it came out, it revolutionized everything and is still the standard with which every role playing game afterward compares itself to. Now, for those of you hardcore FF7 gamers, this is the part of the review you may with to stop reading. The story, for what it is, is entertaining, but the characters are cardboard. Cloud's a prima donna, Barret's a stereotypical angry black man, Tiffa's the tough girl/fan service model, and Sephiroth is a whiny kid with an Oedipus complex. Honestly, the only real reason a lot of these characters gained the popularity they did was because of their designs. And they are pretty kick ass, let me tell you. But then, most of this game is all about design. The different areas have their own tone and feel, which enhanced the game play and made the story progress more seamlessly. Now, aside from the main story line it also has a bunch of side quests which can keep you busy for hours. Some even intersect with other side quests. For example, the worst side quest, in my opinion, is the Gold Chocobo breeding quest. It's time consuming and boring, and you may as well just use the airship to get around. However, once you get the gold chocobo you can get the most powerful summon materia in the game "Knights of the Round." the boring time consuming chocobo breeding sucks, but it is well worth it just for this one materia. Used properly, it can be used to take out the hardest bosses in the game. Which, as it turns out, is not the final boss, Sephiroth. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, Final Fantasy 7 is so packed with side-quests, it has optional bosses that are way harder than the final boss. This is true of pretty much every Final Fantasy game, but I think it's particularly true of this one because it has multiple bosses like that. Others have multiple optional bosses, but only this one has 2 that are much more difficult than the final boss. Hm, I seem to have gotten off topic so I must digress. I defiantly recommend this game to any fan of the role playing genre, but not because it's so legendary and perfect as most people would say. I recommend it because it IS a decent game and you will enjoy playing it.

Came fast as described

Does not load

While the graphics have perhaps not stood the test of time (not because there was anything wrong with them but because of the relentless advance of computers since then) this game is still totally awesome. I had hours of enjoyment with it when the other kids wouldn't play with me. To heck with them I had this great game. I love love love freeze dried fruits and you will too. This stuff is fantastic and very healthy. Put away the cheese, pasta and bread and reach for freeze dried fruits. Your body will thank you later. My favorite Amazon purchases: - Pillow Pets Nickelodeon Spongebob Squarepants 16” Stuffed Animal (toy) - Fast Times by Sabrina Carpenter (greatest song ever) - Twilight (movie) - Canada Dry Tahitian Treat Soda 20 Oz (liquid happiness) - Thrive Life: Freeze-Dried Strawberries (a reason to continue living) - Great Fighter Jets of the Galaxy 1 by Tim Gibson (book)

Muy mal producto la caja viene dañada es la version best seller no la primera edición, en general no lo recomiendo

El juego es repro (no tiene ningún sello) y aparte es Greatest Hits. Es excesivo el precio para lo que se ofrece. Realicé mi devolución tan pronto recibí el artículo.

The one I bought from Good Games Canada rated "very good" should of been rated "Almost like new". After expecting the product I receive, there was extremely minor if not barely noticeable tiny scratches on disc 2 and two tiny scratches on the case. Tested and working perfectly.